Although using separate wheels for the winter and summer seasons saves time and unnecessary hassle during removal, the minutes saved do not eliminate the need for mandatory technical preparation. The first essential step is a thorough inspection of the entire assembly, including the tires and the wheels themselves. The appearance of serious bulges, deep cuts, cracks or advanced corrosion on the metal is a definite sign that these components are no longer suitable for safe use and must be scrapped.
The inner surface of the wheels must be thoroughly cleaned of accumulated dirt, while it is also advisable to check the tire’s production date. According to technical recommendations, tires that are more than eight years old lose their original properties due to rubber aging and should not be used.
Even when tires have been stored properly and have remained mounted on the wheels, they have inevitably been subjected to various loads over the past period, resulting in natural wear and the shifting of weights. That is precisely why balancing before the new season is a mandatory procedure, not an unnecessary whim. At the same time, it is important to adjust the tire pressure to the recommended values, taking the temperature difference into account. Winter conditions, for example, require a slight increase in pressure, since with every ten-degree drop in temperature, the pressure in the tire decreases by approximately one-tenth of an atmosphere.
The surface of the hub and the bearing also require special attention and cleaning to remove dirt and oxidation, ensuring a tight and secure fit of the wheel. The installation process also has its specific requirements regarding the fastening elements. Different wheels often require specific bolts or nuts, while in some cases the use or removal of centering rings and spacers is necessary.
The tightening itself should never be done by guesswork, but with the help of a torque wrench to ensure compliance with the manufacturer’s specified torque settings. With tires featuring a directional tread pattern, it is extremely important to observe the direction of rotation indicated by an arrow on the sidewall.
Experts advise having tires balanced every five to ten thousand kilometers or, as a rule, at every seasonal changeover. The appearance of steering-wheel vibrations when reaching a speed of around one hundred kilometers per hour is a sure symptom of serious imbalance requiring immediate attention. Ignoring this problem leads to accelerated suspension wear, worsens the vehicle’s handling and makes travel risky.